Our San Diego Wallin and Klarich attorney explained that there are some crimes that be charged as either felonies or misdemeanors. Criminal defense lawyers call these crimes “wobblers.” If a defendant is convicted of a felony wobbler and sentenced to jail and probation, he can later ask the judge to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor. However, if a defendant is convicted of a felony wobbler and is sentenced to prison and parole, he cannot later ask the judge to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor.

As you can see, it is very important for a defendant to have a lawyer who knows what all of the consequences of a guilty plea are. A San Diego criminal defense lawyer who does not know the law very well is putting his clients at a disadvantage. On the other hand, you can see how a knowledgeable and experienced criminal lawyer can be of great help to a criminal defendant. Knowing that a defendant will not be able to get the crime reduced to a misdemeanor later on gives the lawyer even more incentive to fight to get the felony reduced to a misdemeanor at the time of the guilty plea. The experienced San Diego felony criminal defense attorneys at Wallin & Klarich can be reached by phone at 1-877-230-1529 or through our website at www.wklaw.com. We will be there when you call.